Adding supercharger meaning tuning ecu?

A

achen415

Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
I want to add a super charger to my 2005 fx35 RWD. I asked my friend about this and he said I would need to retune my ECU?

is this true? He said that I wouldnt be running the proper amount of air and gas. therefore I would have to be pumping out more gas to match the mixture of air.

But then again I thought super chargers was made to SAVE gas
 
Yeah, you definitely need to retune the engine. I believe the Stillen S/C comes with it's own tune, but nothing beats a dyno tune.

Superchargers may be made to save gas when they come stock on vehicles, but people that add them usually aren't looking to save gas as much as add power. And adding power usually ends up using more gas.
 
StuLax18 said:
Yeah, you definitely need to retune the engine. I believe the Stillen S/C comes with it's own tune, but nothing beats a dyno tune.

Superchargers may be made to save gas when they come stock on vehicles, but people that add them usually aren't looking to save gas as much as add power. And adding power usually ends up using more gas.
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Hmmm I dont care much about it running properlly or all that. I just want extra power but without the cost of burning more gas.

You think it would be okay to just add a Stillen Stage2 Supercharger and not retune the ECU?

I wouldnt need the full potential of the S/C
 
All in, $5-10K+. $5K+ is if you buy the Stillen and leave it as is and have a shop install. $8K is if you buy a better supercharger kit like a Vortech and buy all the necessary supporting mods and pay a shop to install and then dyno tune. And there are more expensive options.

I really, really don't think you should be getting a supercharger... I don't think you have the basic understanding of how superchargers or even combustion engines work. Why on earth would you want to spend $4-5K on a supercharger and not tune the ECU? You will grenade the engine. Even Stillen SC's come with a basic piggyback box to "retune" the ECU. But it is inadequate and people have blown motors because it wasn't enough. I've had a SC on a previous car (Stillen actually), at the time, there was no ECU tuning available for that car so Stillen just sent some basic FMU to add more fuel as boost came on. Guess what? Blown motor, or I guess just ailing motor since it still ran, but compression was practically 0 in that cylinder. Later on I added a turbo on the same car, but this time I tuned it and made way more power but the motor never let go.

I'm not how you came across the idea that superchargers save on gas. It's pretty simple, more power requires more air and more fuel. The only way to make more power and not burn more fuel is to make the engine more efficient. The only way to do that is to...tune the ECU. There is no way that adding a SC is going to result in gas savings or not burning more fuel by making more power. On boost, you're going to be using way more fuel. Off boost, you're going to have the parasitic drag of the extra belt. You can minimize the mpg loss, but you're never going to get better mileage by adding a supercharger. It's why people that go with SC's add larger injectors or additional injectors; it's because the SC requires more fuel. If you don't go into boost much, mileage won't suffer terribly. But then why go to the trouble of boost? On my previous car, I'd average ~21-22mpg stock. With the SC I'd get ~19-20mpg if I didn't boost. If I was boosting heavily, or going to the drag strip, I'd get 11mpg.

Long story short, if you want a bit more power while no using too much more gas, get a tune. As in Osiris or something similar. You don't have to know anything about it. Just buy it and take it to a reputable tuner and pay him. Done...just saved you $10K in not buying a supercharger and then having to buy a replacement motor.
 
+ a huge 1

You MUST retune the ECU when adding forced induction. The computer expects regular air and a supercharger provides compressed air. If you don't increase the amount of fuel being burned, you will destroy your motor.

The PROPER air to fuel ratio will give you better mpgs. More power = better efficiency UNLESS you have a heavy foot. If you dirve it like a grandma, a supercharger should increase your efficiency, but you'll never pay for the cost of the system in your efficiency savings. Short story is based on your posts - you have a lot of learning and reading to do. These threads all exist here on IS - you just need to search them out and read, read, read. I'm guessing after just a couple of hours, you'll give up on the Supercharger idea.

Also agree on getting a tune right now - without any mods. You can get 5-8% improvement in fuel efficiency for about $600.
 
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In all seriousness, he might be talking about one of these:
.
B&B_Performance_Line_Electric_Supercharger2.jpg


SfmDRuT2
 
It's completely possible to get better gas mileage with a SC cause it makes boosts the volumetric efficiency of your motor. If you drive the exact same way as you did without a SC you will get better MPG. Problem is that with the extra power people won't drive the same way, you are gonna wanna use that extra power and step on the gas just a little bit more. This is of course with the understanding that the motor is tuned correctly. Adding a SC without doing the tune will make it super lean if it'll even run at all.
 
jumbosrule said:
+ a huge 1

You MUST retune the ECU when adding forced induction. The computer expects regular air and a supercharger provides compressed air. If you don't increase the amount of fuel being burned, you will destroy your motor.

The PROPER air to fuel ratio will give you better mpgs. More power = better efficiency UNLESS you have a heavy foot. If you dirve it like a grandma, a supercharger should increase your efficiency, but you'll never pay for the cost of the system in your efficiency savings. Short story is based on your posts - you have a lot of learning and reading to do. These threads all exist here on IS - you just need to search them out and read, read, read. I'm guessing after just a couple of hours, you'll give up on the Supercharger idea.

Also agree on getting a tune right now - without any mods. You can get 5-8% improvement in fuel efficiency for about $600.
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intersting so with a tune on a stock motor for the 45
I can save some gas for $600
I fill up super about 5-6 times a month

Can i get some more info? or any good tuners here in nyc area
that you guys know of? even alil bit of savings will help me cuz i use
close to 600 on gas a month ^^
 
Turbonator supercharger explained. Maybe Zebra can get us a group buy on this Ultimate Power Adder and gas saver.

"Introducing the Surge Intake SuperCharger, it revolutionized the Japanese tuner performance market and is now for the first time available to the US market in limited supply. This product will allow you to burn fuel more efficiently resulting in better MPG. This SuperCharger will increase air flow and provide additional horse power and torque by 5-7% to the wheels.


Save Up To 28% On Fuel!
Increase Horsepower Up To 7% more hp!
Easy to install - Takes Less Than 5 Minutes!
Fits Virtually All Makes And Models Of Cars And Trucks!
Works On Carbureted And Fuel Injected Engines!
For Gasoline And Diesel Engines!
Made entirely of aircraft grade aluminum-titanium alloy, the Surge SuperCharger is machined to perfection! The blades spin freely and smoothly its shaft being supported by a space grade zero friction ball bearing.


The Surge SuperCharger has a 2.5 inch diameter for easy mounting. The product installs inside the intake hose going to the throttle body from air filter. A clamp is included to secure the Surge SuperCharger inside the intake hose. It also includes a rubber coupler that will create a vacuum seal inside the intake chamber. If your hose has a diameter greater then 2.5� you must custom fit it therefore please ask your qualified mechanic to install it.


This is a universal and will fit any vehicle, SUV, pickup etc�."
 
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